Runes (A Runes Novel)

by Ednah Walters

  ***

  Armed with a list of instructions from my doctor, Mom checked me out of the hospital on Saturday. Eirik stood outside my house with flowers, ‘Welcome Home’ balloons, and a broad smile. My gaze went to Torin’s, but his garage was closed, which meant he wasn’t home. Had he found anything on the Norns—whatever they were?

  The first thing I did when I got to my room was shower. Even though I’d showered at the hospital, using my own shampoo and soap made me feel a lot better. I studied the already healing wound on my head. The bumps of titanium plates and screws holding the bone together under my skin felt a little weird. At least the area was perfectly hidden by my hair and no one would notice it unless I put my hair up in a ponytail.

  Standing naked in front of the mirror, I studied the yellowish bruises on my chest. It still hurt whenever I took deep breaths. Unfortunately, I had to take deep breaths as part of my daily exercise to prevent my lungs from collapsing.

  Eirik was waiting in my room when I finished in the bathroom. Just like old times, he’d pulled out the spare bed from under mine and was lying on it. The thought of breaking off our relationship and hurting him made me feel terrible. I lay on my left side and tried to see his face as we talked.

  “I want to ask you something,” I said as soon as I settled on my bed.

  He cocked his eyebrows. “Okay. Shoot.”

  “I know this is going to sound strange, but it’s a test to see if my memories are intact or not.”

  He wore a skeptical look. “You remembered Homecoming week themes.”

  “I’m serious, Eirik. The doctor said people tend to have short-term memory loss after a brain trauma. Homecoming is an old memory.”

  He sobered up fast and sat up. “Okay.”

  “Who helped you with my birthday at the club?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, frowning.

  “You gave me a surprise birthday party, right?”

  He nodded. “At L.A. Connection. Cora and I planned it.”

  “Who else helped you organize it?”

  “Some woman in charge of parties at the club. We worked with her and her friends.”

  “What about Marj, Jeannette, and Catie?”

  He frowned. “Who?”

  “Marjorie LeBlanc, Jeannette Wilkes, and Catie Vivanco. They’re on our swim team.”

  Eirik scrubbed his face. “Raine, there’s no one on the swim team called Marjorie LeBlanc, or Jeannette Wilkes, or Catie Vivanco.”

  I swallowed panic. How could I remember them so clearly when everyone else couldn’t? Either I was going crazy or Torin was right. Norns, whoever they were, were messing with my head.

  “Hey,” Eirik said, gripping my hand. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I thought we had three new girls on the team.” I described them and explained their arrival last year, but Eirik kept shaking his head. Two down. If Cora didn’t know who they were either, then I’d know for sure something was wrong with me. “I have a friend called Cora though, right?”

  Eirik scowled. “That’s not funny.”

  I grabbed his hand when he plopped back on the pullout bed. “I mean it. Do I have a friend called Cora?”

  “Yes. In fact, I’m going to call her right now, so you can talk to her. I’m happy you remembered me.” He pulled out his cellphone and punched in numbers.

  How many people and incidents had I forgotten or imagined? “You’re going to the Homecoming Dance, right?”

  He shook his head. “Wrong. The whole point of going in the first place was for you to show me off. You can’t do that when you just came back from the hospital and your memories are messed up.”

  “You can go without me,” I begged him.

  “Not interested.” He brought the phone to his ear. “I’m going to pick up your favorite movies and something to eat. Then we’ll hang out. Here, talk to Cora.” He gave me a brief kiss, then left. I had a feeling that seeing me so confused and vulnerable bothered him too much.

  As he walked away, part of me knew I wasn’t being fair to him. I still wasn’t sure how to tell him it was over between us. He loved me and just wanted to spend time with me, while I wanted him out of the way, so I could spend my first night at home with Torin.

  I finished with Cora, who said she’d stop by later. Then I sat by my window, booted my laptop, and waited for Torin to come home. He didn’t. Not worried, I went online and started researching Norns. Mom kept interrupting me, wanting to know my opinion on one thing or the other. I saw through her excuses. She was still worried about me and was checking on me on the sly. In between her visits, I managed to do some reading.

  Norns were Norse female deities in charge of the destiny of Mortals. They were like Fates in Greek mythology, only more powerful. They even decided the fates of the gods. The more I read about them, the more I could see why Torin had freaked out. While there were only three Fates, Norns were many but tended to work in groups of threes. They often appeared when a person was born to determine their future. The good ones were kind and protective, while the evil ones were behind tragic events.

  We had to be dealing with evil Norns—Marj, Catie, and Jeannette. It explained why they were always there before something bad happened. The night of my party, they’d helped Eirik and we’d had a blackout. The night I got hurt, they’d helped Torin with his party. What if they were at the Homecoming Dance tonight?

  Trying not to panic, I went back to reading.

  Of the three Norns that appeared when someone was born, one was in charge of the past, the second one was concerned with the present, and the third was in charge of the future. If Marj and her friends were Norns, they might have messed with everyone else’s memories and left mine intact. It might explain why I remembered them when no one else did. They might also have been there when I was born. Had they saved my life or tried to kill me then? Everything was so confusing. If only Torin was around to give me some answers.

  Cora pulled up before Eirik returned. She wasn’t dressed for the dance and didn’t carry her garment bag or makeup tote either. Weird. In a few minutes, I heard her voice and Mom’s outside my door.

  “Look who’s here to see you, honey,” Mom said in a cheerful voice. “Eirik called. He’s running late, but he’ll be here with dinner. In the meantime, if you girls need anything, let me know.”

  “Thanks, Mom. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the dance?” I asked as soon as Mom left.

  Cora snorted and slumped on the window seat. “Like I’d go without you? So how are you feeling?”

  “Fine. What about Keith? Isn’t he expecting you to go with him?”

  “He wasn’t too thrilled when I told him I couldn’t, but he understood.”

  My friends were annoyingly loyal. Sighing, I walked to the closet and removed the green dress I’d bought for the Homecoming Dance.

  “What are you doing?” Cora asked, standing up.

  “Getting ready for the dance. Did Marj swim this week?”

  “Marj? Who’s Marj?”

  “Never mind.” Three down, confirming I was the only one who could remember them, which meant I was the only one who could stop them from causing more mayhem. I chose a pair of shoes from my closet.

  “Seriously, what are you doing?” Cora demanded.

  “If you and Eirik insist on hanging out with me, we might as well do it at the dance. It’ll do me good to be up and about.” She stared at me as though I’d gone crazy. “Go get your outfit, Cora Jemison. Homecoming Dance, here we come. You can do my hair and makeup.”

  “Hold up, crazy lady. You just came back from the hospital,” she protested. “You can’t just go to the dance. I won’t let you.”

  “I’m not going to dance. I’ll dance vicariously through you.” I grinned. She frowned. “Look, I’ve been staring at the walls for a whole week, and Mom is beginning to drive me nuts. She uses some lame reason to check on me every ten minutes. I need a break or I’ll go crazy.”

  Cora chewed on her lower
lip. “She won’t go for it.”

  “Oh, she will. Doctor’s orders. Go get your stuff.” I shooed her with my hands. “Oh, text Eirik and tell him about our change of plans. I have no idea where my cell phone is. Wherever it is, the battery’s probably dead anyway.” I waited until she left then went to Mom’s bedroom. “Is it okay if I go out with Eirik and Cora for a few hours?”

  Mom frowned. She put down the book she’d been scribbling in and walked to where I stood. “Go where, honey?”

  “The Homecoming Dance. I promise not to push myself.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “But the doctor said—”

  “That you shouldn’t sit for long periods of time, I know. I just hate the idea of you going anywhere right now.” She touched my cheek. “Every moment you’re out of my sight, I worry.”

  “Mom,” I said and sighed.

  “I know. I’m being everything I hate in a parent. Clingy and nagging.” She smiled then pressed a kiss on my temple. “Fine. Go, but if you feel dizzy or have any of the symptoms the doctor mentioned, you come straight home. No driving, no lifting anything, no alcohol, no—”

  I laughed and kissed her, then walked back to my bedroom to change. Hopefully, Torin would be back before we left.

  CHAPTER 15. A CENTURY OR TWO